Council moves Charlotte Street traffic study forward

After hearing concerns about decreasing the number of lanes on Charlotte Street, Asheville City Council voted 6-0 to go forward with a traffic study of the corridor, claiming it will provide better information for future improvements.

A number of residents and business owners had expressed worries about a possible lane decrease, while others expressed concern that the study was a waste of money. But city staff emphasized that they hadn’t committed to that option, and claimed the $50,000 study’s purpose is to provide more analysis of the local situation. Some residents were in favor of the study for those reasons as well.

Council member Marc Hunt was absent due to a vacation.

Council also:

• Rejected signage for the Oteen Ingles 3-3. Council members Cecil Bothwell, Gordon Smith, and Chris Pelly all voted against, asserting that they didn’t believe the grocery store chain should continue to get exceptions from the city’s signage rules.

• Voted 6-0 to make Asheville the inaugural Bee City, USA. Proponents, some dressed as beekeepers, cited the city’s long tradition of backyard beekeeping and local honeymaking, as well as a need to encourage pollination and a healthy ecosystem.